NEUROPROTECTIVE EFFECT EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF CYSTATIN C PRECONDITIONING ON CEREBRAL ISCHEMIA-REPERFUSION INJURY IN MICE

Yongping Liang^{1, *}, Jianning Zhang¹, Baomin Li², Jun Wang²

¹Department of Neurosurgery, Sixth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, PR China - ²Department of Neurology, First Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, PR China

Objective: This article explores the neuroprotective effects of serum cystatin C (Cys C) preconditioning on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in mice. 

Methods: Forty-four healthy male ICR mice were randomly divided into 11 sham operation groups and 33 model groups (for transient middle cerebral artery occlusion surgery). The model group was randomly divided into an IR group and an IR + Cys C dose group (mice treated with a 100 ng or 200 ng dose of Cys C, respectively), with 11 mice each. The IR + Cys C dose group mice were injected with Cys C 30 min before cerebral ischemia. Cys C expression levels, cerebral infarction area, neurological deficit scores, grasping time, first fall time, escape latency, and number of crossing platforms were compared in each group of mice. 

Results: After 24 h, the expression of Cys C in the IR group was significantly higher than in the sham operation group (P<0.05). The area of cerebral infarction in the IR group and the Cys C dose group was significantly higher than in the sham operation group (P<0.05). The cerebral infarction area in the IR group and the IR + 200 ng Cys C group was significantly higher than in the IR + 100 ng Cys C group (P<0.05). The neurological deficit scores of the IR group and the IR + 100 ng Cys C group were significantly higher than in the sham operation group (P<0.05). The neurological deficit scores of mice in IR + 100 ng Cys C group were significantly lower than in the IR group (P<0.05). The grip time and first drop time of the IR group and IR + 100 ng Cys C group were significantly shorter than that of the sham operation group (P<0.05). The grip time and first drop time of the IR + 100ng Cys C mice were significantly longer than that of the IR group (P<0.05). After 21 d, the escape latency of the IR group and IR + 100ng Cys C group mice was significantly longer than that of the sham operation group, and the number of times crossing the platform was significantly lower than that of the sham operation group (P<0.05). The escape latency of the mice in the IR + 100ng Cys C group was significantly longer than in the IR group, and the number of times crossing the platform was significantly higher than that in the IR group (P<0.05). 

Conclusion: The Cys C expression level in mice was significantly increased after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. The pretreatment of mice with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury by Cys C can effectively reduce the area of cerebral infarction, promoting the recovery of neurobehavioral function, and improving long-term memory and learning functions, and thus plays a neuroprotective role.